“Julija Butkevič, Head of Maxima’s Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Department, says that Lithuanian blueberries are eagerly awaited every year not only for their special taste but also for their exceptional freshness.”
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“Although nature was merciless to blueberry growers this year, a 500-gram container of fresh Lithuanian blueberries currently costs buyers a full euro less than last year,” says J. Butkevič.
Worst Years in Thirteen Seasons
Mantė Marcinkevičienė, based in Dzūkija, Alytus district, who has been supplying all her grown blueberry harvest to Maxima since 2015, shares that although she has been growing berries for over 13 years and has seen various challenges during that time, this year’s season required the most patience.
“These are the most difficult years in all the time we’ve been working. Last year, due to late frosts, the year was not very good, and this year, I think, we could lose up to 75% of the potential harvest. It helps a little that our fields have a wavy terrain. In higher areas, part of the harvest survived, while the blueberry bushes in the lowlands were practically completely destroyed by the recent extremely cold winter,” says the blueberry grower.
Last year, M. Marcinkevičienė harvested about 12 tons of blueberries from her more than 7-hectare farm. This year, according to her, it is difficult to predict whether it will be possible to collect 6 tons. In addition to nature’s whims, diseases can also significantly reduce the blueberry harvest. The main and most dangerous of these, according to the blueberry grower, are anthracnose and gray mold, which can most damage the berries and destroy the entire harvest.
“Bright blue ripe berries are also eagerly pecked by starlings, crows, jackdaws, and magpies. Blueberries are also a real delicacy for foxes and rabbits. You can’t concrete over a seven-hectare area, and these animals easily get under a simple fence. You fill one burrow – soon another is dug. That’s how we get along,” smiles the blueberry grower.
M. Marcinkevičienė says that fresh blueberries picked on her farm usually appear on store shelves on the second day after picking. The berries are carefully sorted, cooled to a temperature of 2–4 degrees, packed, and transported to the logistics center.
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